The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II

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“One of the many merits of Ben Pimlott’s superbly judicious biography of Elizabeth II is that it understands this connection between monarchy and masses, and carefully evokes its political importance.” —The New York Times Book Review”A level-headed study . . . helps us appreciate the capacities as well as the limitations of a woman who, whatever else happens, just keeps on going on.” —People”There will be no better biography of Elizabeth II as a figure of state until her official one appears—and perhaps not even then. . . . Pimlott has succeeded triumphantly. He has written a book that can be enjoyed and admired by people who would never have imagined reading any previous royal biography.” —The Independent (London)”An important and

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This review is from: The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II (Paperback)

With the Constitutionally-mandated reduction in the sovereign’s power in the past hundred years, it’s easy to see the Queen of England as a figurehead. A mascot, if you will, whose only powers are to be advised and to consent. A study of Ben Pimlott’s nearly seven hundred pages will teach you why this has happened, particularly in the last nearly fifty years.

The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II is something of an oddity in today’s world–a study of the political power the monarch still holds and how that power has been wielded (or not) during the current reign. It’s fascinating, and in a world filled with tawdry junk bios about the private lives of the Royal Family, this factual reference book is a gem.

It’s true the Queen commands less politically than any of her predecessors, but that’s more her own fault than anyone else’s. She appears to have CHOSEN, for some reason known only to her, to reign but not rule. Even her father, George VI, that most dutiful of monarchs, often made important decisions in critical situations—and no one questioned him because he was the King. His daughter has spent her reign, since 1952, playing it safe, never pushing the Constitutional line between Sovereign and Government. Because the line’s never been pushed by the Queen, the Government has encroached ever more obviously onto what was once unquestionably the Monarch’s territory.

It would be difficult for the Queen to push back now; she’s already given up too much. It will be nearly impossible for the next monarch (most likely Prince Charles) to recover lost ground; he will most likely be only a ceremonial king, in the manner of the Danes and Swedes. Elizabeth II has allowed herself, her decendants, and the British monarchy itself to become Constitutionally hemmed in, and it’s doubtful they’ll ever cut their way out.

Pimlott explains all of this with several examples of laws passed since 1952, each limiting the sovereign’s power a bit more. The Queen has, for whatever reason, not refused her signature to any of these laws though, technically, she still has that right.

Elizabeth II: A Biography is well-written and exhaustively referenced. The many photographs included aren’t the ones that always show up in biographies about the Royal Family; there are several I’ve never seen before. There are no anonymous sources to question; everyone is either well-known, or he/she is explained to the reader. This may be a better book for English readers than for Americans, since several of the matters discussed pertain only to the English, and Americans may be bored by the minutiae of individual British case law.

Final decision: A tad dry, but the best examination of Elizabeth II’s reign I’ve seen.

Her Majesty’s immediate family, her mother, also Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mum, her father, King George VI, and her sister Margaret, were considered the “family of families” by the British public throughout King George VI’s reign, particularly during the War years of 1939-1945. When Ben Pimlott wrote this book in 1996 the year of Her Majesty’s 70th birthday, the Royal family’s reputation was beseiged during a time when (British, I assume, anti-monarchical) republicanism was at its height and on the rise. However, during the first decades of Queen Elizabeth II’s lengthy reign, the publics’ feelings on the monarchy were unquestionably favorable which you’ll understand by reading the book. Millions the world over watched Her Majesty’s wedding, (when she was still a Princess), and later her coronation; for many people, it was the first time they had ever watched television. So Ben Pimlott writes in his Preface that his book “is a book about the Queen in people’s heads, as well as at Buckingham Palace”.

Ben Pimlott was “absolutely a patriot”, his wife declared to the press following his death at age 58, almost a year ago, (he died on April 10, 2004, the day before Easter), after a short travail with leukemia. “He wanted, and believed, that the world and Britain could be a better place and that Goldsmiths could be a better place, and that poor people ought to have a brilliant university.” Stumbling on his obituaries, I’ve become enamored with his life’s work, (although short), and impressed with how well he was thought of; so many people were saddened by his passing. He was Warden of Goldsmiths University of London at the time. He had attended Oxford University when Bill Clinton was then a student there for one year. Professor Ken O Morgan wrote of him in an obituary that “he was one of the most important historians ever of the British left”. Poor Brit, he was born on the fourth of July!

Ben Pimlott wrote two other biographies before The Queen, one about Hugh Dalton, another Labour leader who was Chancellor during WWII and also son of Queen Victoria’s chaplain, and Harold Wilson, who was prime minister and also of the Labour party. He also edited and made available to the public Hugh Dalton’s private diaries. He was somewhat apprehensive about writing this book, anticipating criticism from his colleagues.

Her Majesty invited Ben Pimlott over to Windsor Castle while he was writing this book, but interestingly, the book’s contents were not discussed; he was merely invited over, I assume, for tea and a nice chat. In writing this book, he interviewed several former prime ministers, Princess Margaret, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Runcie. He used The diaries of Jock Colville, Queen Elizabeth’s and Churchill’s private secretary for source material. The Telegraph noted that he wrote this book to “examine constitutional issues such as the royal prerogative, her relationships with her prime ministers and her role as Head of the Commonwealth. These were matters which had tended to become obscured by the scandals and the gossip which were increasingly the preoccupation of some sections of the media.” In 2002, he gave a lecture on the monarchy at St. Paul’s Cathedral. This past January at Goldsmiths, the Ben Pimlott building was dedicated.

I write all the above about Ben Pimlott to suggest that this is the definitive biography of Her Majesty, the queen. It is a rather lengthy one about a rather lengthy reign. Ben Pimlott’s treatment of her life is extremely thorough; the many chapters’ headings are years. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Her Majesty’s childhood; I also knew precious little about the majority of her life. She was one of King George V’s favorite grandchildren. She did not have the typical childhood friends when she was little. She had her sister Margaret, of course, but of other childhood friends, she had mostly visitors. She and her sister were babysat on occasion of the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain’s, dubbed the “evil envoy” by the public, visit to her father the King by Rose Kennedy, the ambassador’s wife. She was closest in age to Ted and Jean of this Kennedy clan. Other Americans became enamored with her, most notably Harry Truman. No telling how many hands she has shaken or people she has met the world over. My mother tells me that everyone has often commented that she is more beautiful in person, more beautiful than the best photos or portraits of her. A British aquaintance of mine who has met the Queen told me that “she’s only 5 feet tall, you know”, yet he is more than 6 feet tall, as Pimlott was, which accounts for his inaccuracy; she is actually 5’4″.

I had hoped to learn more about how the Sovereign’s power has been diminished by, I assume, Parliament, and to understand more just how different America’s structure of government is from the British system, but, again, that is…

Ben Pimlot provides a fascinating insight into the head of the House of Windsor. This excellent biography explores the public life of the British sovereign and also reveals a poignant picture of the private life of the monarch. She is a woman of wit and humour with the common touch which endears her to the world; witness her fondness for rough cider and bawdy humour and her enduring interest in the British mod scooter scene. A welcome addition to coffee table or serious library alike, this book just keeps cranking out the laughs.